Two Bradley County Commissioners addressed a tense exchange that took place during Monday night’s commission meeting, after comments made by Commissioner Howard Thompson sparked criticism from fellow Commissioner Cindy Slater.

During a Wednesday morning interview on Mix 104.1, Commissioner Slater said Thompson made what she described as “inappropriate comments” about the recent tragedy at Baku Plastics in Cleveland. Slater said she overheard Thompson reference “ICE” while commissioners were discussing the fatal shooting that occurred earlier that day.

“It was an inappropriate comment to make,” Slater said. “After the meeting, I told Commissioner Thompson that his remarks were not appropriate and that he should be ashamed of himself. He then told me to ‘keep my mouth shut.’”

Thompson confirmed during the interview that he made the statement but denied that it was intended as a joke or in reference to immigrants, saying, “I only said, ‘I wonder if ICE was involved.’ I didn’t say anything about anyone being illegal. I sure didn’t mean anything about what happened here in Bradley County — it was a sad situation.”

Thompson said he regretted how the situation unfolded, adding, “I apologize for anything I said that offended anyone. I didn’t mean to offend anybody.”

Slater said while she appreciated the apology, she believes Thompson owes a public apology to the victims’ families, Baku Plastics employees, and the citizens of Bradley County. “Too many times people want to blow it off and say, ‘That’s just Howard being Howard,’” she said. “In today’s society, that’s not acceptable. Right is right and wrong is wrong.”

Thompson, who has served nearly 30 years on the commission, said he has no plans to resign despite public criticism. “I was elected by the people,” he said. “If they want me out, they’ll tell me at election time.”

The exchange comes as the community continues to grieve following the deadly shooting at Baku Plastics earlier this week.